The Suomenlinna shipyard

The Viapori shipyard was designed by Daniel Thunberg, and construction began in 1750. A location was chosen on the north side of Susisaari island.

By 1756, the great galley basin was almost completed. Next, work began on a dock to the west of the basin. In the same year, the Archipelago Fleet was founded; Augustin Ehrensvärd, who was supervising the construction of fortifications on Viapori, was appointed the Commander of the Fleet. Shipwright Fredrik Henrik af Chapman designed a new type of vessel for the Archipelago Fleet, intended to be built at the Viapori shipyard.

However, it was not until the late 1780s, during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 (‘Gustav III’s War’) that shipbuilding properly got under way. The decisive battle of that war at Svensksund (Ruotsinsalmi) was won by Sweden thanks to the fleet that sailed from Viapori.

The Russian era on Viapori began in 1808. The shipyard fell into disuse and decay. It was severely damaged in the bombardment during the Crimean War in 1855. After the war, the navy base was moved to Katajanokka. The shipyard area was converted to warehouses and workshops. It was not until the First World War that the Russians began to repair the shipyard to restore it to its proper use. The work was completed in 1917, only shortly before Viapori was taken over by the Finnish government and renamed Suomenlinna.

Since Finland’s independence, the shipyard has had several occupants. The State Aircraft Factory used the repairs workshop for assembling aeroplanes in the 1920s. In 1930, the shipyard was taken over by the State Shipyard and was converted into a submarine base.

After the Second World War, Suomenlinna saw a sudden spate of shipbuilding, as the ships required for Finland’s war reparations were built there. When Valmet Oy left Suomenlinna in the mid-1980s, the shipyard came under the control of the Governing Body of Suomenlinna. Since 1988, it has been leased to Viaporin telakka ry., a private association.